Journey to the West: The roadblock!

Chapter 161 A Perilous Crossing of the Tongtian River (Part 1)
Meanwhile, after Tang Sanzang and his disciples passed through Chechi Kingdom, they traveled on the main road. It was the dead of winter, and the north wind was fierce.

Bajie wrapped his two large ears with cotton cloth to keep them from getting cold.

Tang Sanzang walked ahead and heard the sound of waves and water. He said:
"Disciples, there is a river ahead. I wonder how wide it is? Is there a bridge? Is there a ferry?"

Pigsy asked, "Master, how did you know there was a river ahead?"

Tang Sanzang said, "I heard the sound of water just now, so I knew."

Pigsy said, "Master, where is the sound of water? Why didn't I hear it?"

Sha Wujing said, "Second Brother, I heard it too."

Pigsy said, "You heard that too?"

Wukong laughed and said, "Fool, we all heard it except you. With your ears covered, what can you hear? You won't even know when a monster comes. Hurry up and take them off."

Bajie covered his ears and said, "We can't take them off. Old Pig's ears are big and catch the wind. If we take them off, they'll freeze when the cold wind blows on them."

Wukong laughed and said, "You idiot, you call yourself Marshal Tianpeng?"

The four travelers continued walking for a while, and sure enough, they came across a large river. The river was:

Its vastness swallows Mount Hua, its long flow connects hundreds of rivers.

It is as vast as the sea, and seems endless as far as the eye can see.

Upon seeing this, Tang Sanzang said, "Disciples, this is another great river. I wonder how many miles wide it is. Are there any demons in the river?"

Wukong laughed and said, "Master, what are you afraid of? No matter what demons or monsters are in this river, they wouldn't dare to come up and provoke me."

Tang Sanzang shook his head and said, "I'm afraid the demons will change their forms and become fishermen or boatmen or something, pretending to take us across the river. Once we get to a deep part of the river, they'll capsize the boat and drag me down with them."

Wukong said, "No! No! With my fiery eyes, what demon can I possibly hide from?"

Bajie, keeping his distance, said, "Brother, stop talking. The wind on this riverbank is cold and damp. Let's see if there's a ferry nearby. If there is, we can cross the river as soon as possible; if not, we can find a sheltered place to rest for a while and then discuss how to cross the river."

Wukong said, "Alright, let me see."

Wukong leaped up and looked out over the riverbanks from mid-air, but couldn't see a single boat.

Wukong landed and said, "Master, this river is very wide. I have checked, and there are no ferries on either side of the riverbank."

Tang Sanzang asked, "What should we do?"

At this moment, Sha Wujing said, "Master, look, there is a stone tablet over there."

The four of them walked over and saw three large characters engraved on the stone tablet: "Tongtian River", and ten smaller characters below: "A path of eight hundred li, rarely traveled since ancient times".

Pigsy said, "Master, this river is eight hundred li wide!"

Sha Wujing said, "It's like my Flowing Sand River!"

Tang Sanzang said, "Alas, with such a great flood blocking our way, how can we proceed westward?"

Wukong said, "Master, don't worry. As the saying goes, 'Where there's a mountain, there's a road; where there's water, there's a ferryman.' Let's find a family nearby and ask them for a way to cross the river."

Tang Sanzang said, "Hmm, that makes sense."

Bajie, feeling the cold wind blowing around him, wandered back and forth. Suddenly, he saw a temple on the shore and said, "Master, look, there's a temple over there. There must be houses next to the temple. Let's go there and rest."

Tang Sanzang nodded, and the group walked toward the temple.

The temple was not far away, only two or three miles away, and we arrived quickly.

When the four of them arrived, they discovered that it was a dilapidated temple.

The temple gate was dilapidated, half of it broken on the ground, looking as if it had been smashed, while the other half hung there, exposed to the wind and rain, its vermilion paint peeling off. Pigsy said, "I thought it would be a place to shelter from the wind and rest, but it turns out to be a ruined temple."

Wukong stepped on a memorial tablet on the ground, which had the word "Inspiration" written on it. The back was broken, and it was impossible to know what was written on it.

Inside, the offering table, incense, candles, and other items were all damaged.

Seeing that the altar table was still intact, Pigsy said, "Master, please move aside a bit, let me move this altar table to block the doorway and keep out the cold wind."

Tang Sanzang said, "Bajie, you've had a hard time."

Bajie said, "Master, this is nothing."

Bajie rolled up his sleeves, gripped the offering table with both hands, and lifted it up with a forceful pull. Just as he was about to move it to the doorway to block the wind, suddenly, a three-foot-tall black shadow darted out from under the offering table and disappeared in the blink of an eye.

Pigsy was so frightened that he fell and dropped the offering table on the ground, breaking all the legs.

Pigsy exclaimed, "There are ghosts! There are little ghosts!"

Tang Sanzang was startled upon hearing this.

Sha Wujing quickly shielded Tang Sanzang and asked, "Where is the ghost?"

Eighth Ring pointed behind him and said, "They ran to the back."

Wukong laughed and said, "What are you two worried about? Master is a disciple of Buddha descended to earth. What ghost or monster would dare to approach?"

Bajie said, "I just saw a dark shadow run past with my own eyes!"

Tang Sanzang said, "Wukong, this..."

Wukong said, "Master, don't be afraid. Let me go and take a look."

Wukong walked to the back and saw a thin, dark figure huddled in the corner of the temple, trembling and covered in mud and ash, making it look like a little devil.

Wukong asked, "Whose child are you? How did you get lost here?"

Upon hearing this, the child didn't answer, but shrank back in fear, but there was a corner behind him, and he couldn't shrink back any further.

Wukong reached out and lifted the child up. The child was pitifully light, about three feet tall, but weighed only about twenty pounds.

Wukong carried him to Tang Sanzang and said, "Master, it's not a ghost, it's a child."

Tang Sanzang asked, "Why is there a child in this dilapidated temple?"

Sha Wujing said, "Master, look at him, he looks only five or six years old, he's dirty and thin, he must be someone's lost child, right?"

Tang Sanzang nodded and said, "Bajie, go and get some dry food for this child, and wipe his face."

Bajie said, "Master, I'll go get the dry rations right away, but don't wipe your face yet."

Tang Sanzang said, "Why? This child's face is covered in mud and grime. Wouldn't it be better to wipe it off?"

Bajie said, “Master, you are a clean person and do not know the use of this mud. Although mud is dirty, it can protect against wind and cold. This child is so small and his skin is very thin. We do not know who his parents are or where they are. If we wipe away the mud, we will not be able to find his parents for a while, and we have no place to shelter from the wind and rain. If the child’s skin is exposed to the wind, he may freeze.”

Upon hearing this, Tang Sanzang said, "Excellent, excellent, it was my oversight."

Wukong laughed and said, "Master, who would think of this? I suppose this fool used to roll around in the mud pits in the mountains during the winter to keep warm, so he knows these things."

Upon hearing this, Pigsy cursed, "You, the stable boy, are the one who should be rolling around in the muddy pond! Your monkey spirit from Flower Fruit Mountain isn't much better..."

As he spoke, Bajie took out a few pieces of dry food from his pack and gave them to the child, saying, "Eat up, eat up quickly."

(End of this chapter)